Air control valve for oil burners



June 20 l.950 H. WEYENBERG TAL l 2,512,047

AIR CONTROL VALVE FoRzoIL BURNERS Filed June 22, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS.

@Ciad June 20, 1950 H. WEYENBERG Erm. 2,512,047

^ AIR CONTROL VALVE Fox on. BURNERs Filed .June 22, 1944 2 sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 20, 1950 AER CONTROL VALVE FOB OIL BURNERS Henry Weyenberg and Cornelius Quist, Holland, Mich., assignorsA to Holland Furnace Company, Holland, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application June 22, 1944, Serial No. 541,505

This invention relates to oil burners of the type ,employed principally in lconnection with domestic heating plants and is concerned. especially with certain features of such apparatus including an adjustable air controlling means for the supply of air for combustion in the burner.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a new and improved air control device for an oil burner. Another object of the invention is to provide air supply apparatus for an oil burner including an adjustable air inlet of relatively simple design adapted for economical manufacture. It is also an object of the invention to provide av regulating valve for the air supply of an oil burner which shall be adjustable through a wide range yfor adapting the burner mechanism to operate at various speeds and with various hydrocarbon fuels.

More speciiically, it is an object oi the invention to provide air 'control means in combination with a blower of the centrifugal type in which the central inlet openingv of the blower is closed by a cover having an annular wall with an elongated port extending circumferentially therein and with a circumferentially slidable valve or cover member for said port adjustable to vary the effective capacity of the port.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description taken in connection with the drawings in which:

"ing into the air tube from which the fuel mixn ture is discharged into the furnace.

Fig. 3 is a section as indicated at line 3 3 on Fig. 1 and also at line 3 3 on Fig. 4, showing the interior construction of the air control dev1ce.

Fig. 4 is a section taken as indicated at line 4--4 on Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail section at line 5 5 on Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken as indicated at line B- on Fig. 2, to show the construction of the choke.

Fig. 'I is a detail section taken as indicated at line 'I-'I on Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a detail sectional view taken as indicated at line 8-8 on Fig. l and on a larger scale.

While we have shown in the drawings and have herein described in detail a preferred form oi our invention, it is to be understood that we do 'not intend to limit the invention to the specific 3 Claims. (Cl. 251-9) form or application disclosed, but aim to cover all modications and alternative constructions falling within the scope of the invention as expressed in the claims.

The oil burner shown in the drawings is usually supported in any convenient manner in front of the furnace or boiler with which it is associated and it includes means for supplying liquid fuel of the hydrocarbon type, together with a quantity of air, to form a combustible mixture; and these ingredients are supplied at a proper pressure and velocity to insure projection and propagation of the flame within the furnace. In the present structure the air is furnished by a blower of the centrifugal type enclosed in a housing I to one side of which housing there is attached a driving motor 2. Fig. 2 shows the rotor `3 of the centrifugal blower in dotted outline within the housing I, and shows the shaft Il extending from the rotor 3 to a pump 5 which serves to feed the liquid fuel to a discharge nozzle 6, located in the air tube 'I and seen near the outer end of the tube where a portion of the wall is broken away'to disclose the interior structure. From the Ipump 5 a feed pipe 8 leads through the side wall 9 of the air discharge chamber I0 which integral with and surmounted by the blower housing I.

The blower fan or rotor 3 is of the type which receives air at one side of its central portion and discharges it centrifugally into the housing. For controlling the air thus supplied to the rotor 3, there is mounted on the side of the housing I, and interposed between it and the pump 5, an annular shell II having lugs I2, I2 by which it is bolted in position over a circular opening i3 in the wall of the housing I. The lugs I2, I2 are integral with the ange Ill which seats upon the margin ofv the wall surrounding the opening I3, and the shell Il includes an annular flange I5 which extends from the seating plane of the flange I4 and into the housing I adjacent one side of the rotor 3. The flange I5 is somewhat tapered so as to direct the air toward the central portion of the blast wheel or rotor 3.

The shell II includes an end wall I6 with a central boss I'I fitting over the pump bearing in which the shaft 4 is journaled. The annular wall of the shell I I is formedfwith a segmental opening 20 extending from the edge I8 to the edge I9 in said annular wall and including an arcuate area 20a of the same langular extent-in the end wall I6 of the shell. This opening is for access of air to the interior of the shell and thence to 3 the rotor 3 of the blower, and the .capacity of the opening is controlled by a valve member 2| vof curved contour conforming to the inner surface of the annular Wall of the shell I I. The angular extent of the valve member 2| is sufficient to span the opening 2|) in the shell Il and, as shown, it is about 150. The valve member includes a curved face 22 which engages the inner annular surface of the shell while a marginal flange 23 of the member 2| fits approximately in the angle between the annular wall of the shell 'I I and its end Wall I6. The inner. face of this end,

Wall I6 has formed upon it a circular rib or bead 24 which fits just inside the :edge of` theV flange 23 `and serves :as a guide for the flange 23 along which it rides as the valve member 2| is shifted around to vary the effective `length of the opening 2U. The opposite edge 25 of the valve member 2| fits into notched lugs 26 formed on the inner surface of the shell I I and projecting inwardly 'from the face of the flange I5. The notched lugs 26, thus overhanging the marginal portion of the -valVe member 22 adjacent its edge 25, serves as guides to hold the valve in place while permit- `:ting `it to slide circumferentially within the shell I I. One end of the. valve member is formed with f-a V-shaped notch 2'! which cooperates with the edge I8 of the opening 20 to provide a port of `-graduated width as the valve member 2| is slidlablyadjusted with relation to the edge I3; and -when the notched end of the valve 2| moves away vfrom the edge I8 there is added to the triangular larea of the notch 2l a substantially rectangular 'area which increases as the Valve member moves 'further away from the edge |81 of the opening 25. The size of the opening 20 is such that the end `portion of the valve member 2| containing notch 21 Amay be easily grasped for shifting the valve manually around the shell l particularly, in the .more -widely opened positions; but as the valve is moved toward closed position so that its fnotched edge disappears under the edge .IS of the opening 20, it may be further manipulated. by Iengaging the fingers in transverse recesses or 1channels 28 formed in the outer surface of the wva-lve member '2| beyond 'the position of the z'notch 2l and-substantially throughout the remainder of the length of the valve member 2i.

'The valvefZ-'I will require experimental adjustrment'whenthe burner -is initially installed in or- .'.der-to accommodatelthe. air inlet to the particular `speed 4ofthemotor 2 ,cand'blower fan and to the .particular quality of the fuelv oil available, but ',:ordinarilyuafter such initial Vadjustnfient it will rbedesirable to -have-the'valve secured in position. aEor-sthis-fpurpose a clamp bar 2S extends radially against rthe inner faceof `the Wall iii with its vbent end portion 3E! bearing against :the wall "andgwith itsopposite end 3| bearing frictionally t.'aga'inst the flange 23 of the valve member .2L -Abolt Y32extends.through the clamprbar 29 and Athrough-the lwall .I B, being provided with` aclampv4ing nut-.33 which is accessible at the outer end -of the wall I5 for tightening the clamp bar 2S 'xtosecure thevalve member 2| at adjusted-posin tion.

.Atthe outer end fof ,thewairtube i which, as "will'be understood, extends into the furnace and l usuallyintoa refractory lined rebox or chamlber `vwhere combustion proceeds, thereI is pro" videda'tuyre 'structure which includes a frustovconical chokexmember -35'having Va cylindrical mounting .por-tion' l36 which telescopes ,over the fzend ofxthe'tube and is suitably-secured thereon. .Between the-said` portion361and the conical, Dor- Vet() 2,512,047 if, gli

tion 35, the choke member is formed with a shoulder 31 which is disposed ropposite the terminal edge of the tube in spaced relation thereto so as to secure in position the flat circular rim 4|) of a tuyre diaphragm having inwardly extending air delector blades 4 I. Each of these blades includes two approximately plane portions 42 and 43 disposed Vangularly.-toaeach other by bending I the blade along va line-41| so that each blade is in eifect a trough extending in approximately tan- ,gential relation to the circular opening 33 of the choke member. .Portions of the material of the tuyre diaphragm are cut away in the form of arcuateslots 45 adjacent the fiat rim 40 so that the blade areas 42 are narrowed adjacent the rim portion 540, kpermitting them to be bent out `of .the-planeof the rim along the lines 46 whereby the areas 42 of the blades are inclined outvwardly from the plane of the rim, that is, in

the direction of discharge of the air, while the areas43 Amaybe.considered as inclined inwardly from -this plane vand-toward the axis of the ,air

lstream to form thetroughs, as already` mentioned.

`to provide la readily combustible mixture which burns vwith an intense heat within the refractory lined `chamber or viirebox. into which it is, pro.- jected by the operationy ofthe blower 3.and pump 5 so that when correctlproportions ofy air and oil have been established by adjustment of the air control valve 2|, substantially complete and eficient combustion-of the fue] isobtained.

Incidentally, the combustion of the fuel adjacent the outerend of the .air tube produces intense heat which would rapidly destroy the choke member 35-.and adjacent structure if they were composed of ordinary materials. We have found, however, that byrusing stainlesssteel for the chokemember, Vandfpreferably forrthe tuyre diaphragm also, and forming the. annularportion 36 ofthe choke rmember -to fit over .the-.end of the air tube 1, vthe extreme .heat is withstood by the Vstainless steel parts and the material of the air tube 'I is protectedagainst the possibility of being burned out.

As already noted, the liquidv fuel is fed by the pump 5 through the pipe 8 and thence to `the pipe 50 Within the air tube 1 leading to the fuel discharge nozzle E. A portion of this -pipe 5U is shown adjacent the nozzle l inFig. l, and 8 shows the bent terminal portion of .the :same pipe 50 adjacent the coupling by which it is con.-

nected `to the pipe 8. The coupling. includes a threaded stem 5I with an adjacent hexagonal shoulder 52, and a reduced head portion 53 which is externally threaded. The outer endofthe head 53 is formed with an annular channel 54 of V-shaped cross-section which givesthecentral portion 55 of the head 53a frusto-conical form dimensioned to telescope Within the end of pipe 5B. Usually, this pipe 50 Will be a length .of copper tubing and .its terminal .portion may be rolled over into a flange-of vcurved cross section, as shown at 56 in Fig. 8. Before formation of the flange 5B, a threaded gland member 15,1 is slipped over the end of the tube so-that .when its internal threads are engaged with the threads on the head portion 53. the gland will force the curled ange 56 on the tubing into the-,channel 54, thus providing a liquid-tight joint .between the interior of the pipe 50 and the bore 58 of the tting. The threaded stem f'extends through the side wall 9 of the chamber I0, as seen in Fig. 1, and may be suitably connected to the pipe 8 as by means of a compression coupling B0 shown in Fig. 2. y

We claim as our invention:

1. A valve structure for oil burners and the like, comprising, a shell having an annular wall having an outlet at one end theref'; a transverse wall at the other end thereof, said annular wall having an elongated air inlet opening on one side extending circumferentlally therein, and an elongated valve member to regulate said opening curved concentrically about said annular wall and mounted inside the shell, an annular rib projecting inwardly from said transverse wall in guiding engagement with one .side of the curved valve member, lugs engaging the valve member at the opposite side ofthe" shell and overhanging the inner surface of the valve member, thus forming guides throughfwhich said valve member is slidably adjustable v4to vary the effective length of the air inlet opening of the annular wall.

2. A valve structure for oil burners and the like, comprising a shell having a Atransverse wall and an annular wall, said annularwall having an elongated air inlet opening extending circumferentially therein, a valve member to regulate said opening curved concentrically about said annular wall and mounted inside/the shell with a portion of its convexly curved surface exposed at said opening of the shell, saidsurface having a series of elongated, cireumferentially spaced recesses extending across the valve member to serve as linger grip means by which said member may be manually engaged for sliding adjustment circumferentially of the shell, said curved valve member having an arcuatev flange extending radially inwardly from its curved wall and adjacent said transverse wall ofegthe shell, and a damp member mounted 0n .said wall or the shell overlapping said flange with means to adjust said clamp into frictional holding engagement with the flange for securing the valve member at any position within its range of sliding adjustment.

3. A valve structure for oil burners and the like, comprising a shell having a transverse wall and an annular Wall, said annular wall having an elongated air inlet Opening extending circumferentially therein, a valve member to regulate said opening curved concentrically about the annular wall and mounted inside the shell, said valve member having van arcuate flange extending radially inwardly from its curved wall and adjacent said transverse wall of the shell, a clamp bar mountedk on the inner face of said transverse wall with'one end bearing thereon and with the other end of said bar bearing against said flange of the valve member together with a clamping bolt extending through the bar intermediate its ends and through said wall of the shell, and means outside the shell adjustable for tightening said bolt to draw the clamp bar into frictional holding engagement with the flange of the valve member.

HENRY WEYENBERG. CORNELIUS QUIST.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,401,097 Nickolaus Dec. 20, 1921 1,955,852 Lattner Apr. 24, 1934 1,971,246 Anderson Aug. 2l, 1934 2,057,783 Lattner Oct. 20, 1936 2,108,734 Van Sciver Feb. l5, 1938 2,140,212 Sigwald Dec. 13, 1938 2,206,033 Franks July 2, 1940 2,308,439 Carroll Jan. 12, 1943 2,309,111 Hothersall Jan. 26, 1943 2,346,199 Taylor. Apr. 11, 1944 2,347,594 Delin Apr. 25, 1944 

